seats HONDA ODYSSEY 1998 User Guide

Protecting Children

(U.S. models only)
To remind you of the passenger airbag hazards, and that children
must be properly restrained in a
back seat, your vehicle has warning
labels on the dashboard and on the driver's and front passenger's visors.
Please read and follow the
instructions on these labels. If You Must Drive with Several
Children

Your vehicle has two rows of back seats where children can be properly

restrained.

If you ever have to carry a group of
children (when car-pooling for
example), and a child must ride in
front: Place the largest child in the front
seat, provided the child is large
enough to wear a seat belt
properly (see page 35). Move the vehicle seat as far to the

rear as possible (see page 10).
Have the child sit upright and well
back in the seat (see page 16 ). Make sure the seat belt is properly
positioned and secured (see page
13).

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Protecting Children

General Guidelines for Using
Child Seats
The following pages give general guidelines for selecting and installing
child seats for infants and small
children.
Selecting a Child Seat
To provide proper protection, a child seat should meet three
requirements:

1.The child seat should meet safety
standards. The child seat should
meet Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 213 (FMVSS 213)
or Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards. Look for the
manufacturer's statement of
compliance on the box and seat.
2. The child seat should be of the
proper type and size to fit the child.
Infants: Children up to about one
year old should be restrained in a rear-facing, reclining child seat. Only
rear-facing seats provide the support
an infant needs to protect their head,
neck, and back. See page 27 for
additional information on protecting
infants. Small Children: A child who is too
large for a rear-facing child seat, and who can sit up without support, should be restrained in a forward-
facing child seat. See page 31 for
additional information on protecting small children.

CONTINUED

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Protecting Children

3. The child seat should fit the vehicle seating position (or
positions) where it will be used.
Due to variations in the design of
child seats, vehicle seats, and seat
belts, all child seats will not fit all
vehicle seating positions.
However, Acura is confident that oneor more child seat models can fit and
be properly installed in all
recommended seating positions in
your vehicle. Whenever possible, we recommend
that parents test a child seat in thespecific vehicle seating position (or
positions) where they intend to use the seat before making a purchase. If
a previously purchased child seatdoes not fit, you may need to buy a
different one that will fit.
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Protecting Children

Placing a Child Seat
This page briefly summarizes Acura's recommendations on where to placerear-facing and forward-facing childseats in your vehicle.
Front Passenger's Seat

Infants: Never in the front seat, due to the passenger airbag hazard.

Small children: Not recommended,
due to the passenger's airbag
hazard. If a small child must ride in front, move the vehicle seat to
the rear-most position and secure a front-facing child seat with theseat belt (see page 32).
Back Seats
Infants: Recommended positions.
Secure a rear-facing child seat
with the seat belt (see page 28).

Small children: Recommended
positions. Secure a front-facingchild seat with the seat belt (see
page 32).
Driver and Passenger Safety
Airbags Pose Serious
Risks to Children
The passenger's airbag inflates
with enough force to kill or seriously injure an infant in a
rear-facing child seat.
A small child in a forward-facing child seat is also at risk. If the
vehicle seat is too far forward, or the child's head is thrown
forward during a collision, an
inflating airbag can kill or seriously injure the child.
If a small child must ride in the
front, follow the instructions
provided.
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Protecting Children

Installing a Child Seat

After selecting a proper child seat, and a good position to install the seat,
there are three main steps in
installing the seat:

1. Secure the child seat to the vehicle
with a seat belt. All child seats
must be secured to the vehicle
with the lap belt or the lap part of a lap/shoulder belt. A child whose
seat is not properly secured to the
vehicle can be endangered in a crash. See pages 28 and 30 for
instructions on how to secure child seats in this vehicle.
2. Make sure the child seat is firmly
secured. After installing a child

seat, push and pull the seat
forward and from side to side to
verify that it is secure. To provide security during normal
driving maneuvers, as well as during
a collision, we recommend that
parents secure a child seat as firmly
as possible.

However, a child seat does not need
to be "rock solid." In some vehicles or seating positions, it may be
difficult to install a child seat so that
it does not move at all. Some side-to- side or forward-and-back movement
can be expected and should not
reduce the child seat's effectiveness.
If the child seat is not secure, try
installing it in a different seating
position, or use a different style of child seat that can be firmly secured
in the desired seating position.
3. Secure the child in the child seat.

Make sure the child is properly
strapped in the child seat
according to the child seat maker's
instructions. A child who is not
properly secured in a child seat can be thrown out of the seat and
be seriously injured in a crash.

Storing a Child Seat
When you are not using a child seat, either remove it and store it in a safe
place, or make sure it is properly secured. An unsecured child seat can
be thrown around the vehicle during a crash or sudden stop and injure
someone.

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Protecting Children

Protecting Infants
Child Seat Type
To provide proper support for a baby's head, neck and back, infants
up to about one year of age must be
restrained in a rear-facing child seat.
Two types of seats may be used: a seat designed exclusively for infants,
or a convertible seat used in the rear-
facing, reclining mode. We recommend that an infant stay in
a rear-facing child seat as long as
possible, until they reach the seat
maker's weight or height limit and are able to sit up without support.
Infant Seat Placement

In this vehicle, a rear-facing child seat can be placed in any seating
position in the back, but not in the
front seat.

Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front seat. If the passenger's
airbag inflates, it can hit the back of
the child seat with enough force to
kill or seriously injure an infant. If an infant must be closely watched, we
recommend that another adult sit ina back seat with the baby.

Do not put a rear-facing child seat in
a forward-facing position. If an

infant faces forward, they could be
very seriously injured during a
frontal collision.

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Driver and Passenger Safety
Placing a rear-facing child seat
in the front seat can result in
serious injury or death if the
airbags inflate.
Always place a rear-facing child seat in the back seat, not the
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Protecting Children

Installing an Infant Seat With a Lap/
Shoulder Belt

The lap/shoulder belts in the outer back seats have a locking mechanism that must be activated tosecure a child seat.
The following pages provide instructions and tips on how tosecure a rear-facing child seat with
this type of seat belt. See page 30 for how to secure a rear-
facing child seat with the lap belt.
1. With the child seat in the desiredback seating position, route the
belt through the child seataccording to the seat maker's
instructions, then insert the latch
plate into the buckle.

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Protecting Children

Additional Precautions for Infants Never hold a baby on your lap. If

you are not wearing a seat belt in a crash, you could be thrown
forward into the dashboard and crush the child.
If you are wearing a seat belt, the
baby can be torn from your arms. For example, if the vehicle crashes
into a parked vehicle at 30 mph (48 km/h), a 20 Ibs (9 kg) baby
will become a 600 Ibs (275 kg)
force, and you will not be able to
hold it.
Never put a seat belt over yourself

and a baby. During a crash, the

belt could press deep into the child and cause very serious injuries. Protecting Small Children
Child Seat Type
A child who can sit up without support, and who fits within the child
seat maker's weight and height
limits, should be restrained in a
forward-facing, upright child seat.
Of the different seats available, we
recommend those that have a five-
point harness system as shown. We also recommend that a small
child stay in the child seat as long as
possible, until they reach the weight
or height limit for the seat.
Child Seat Placement In this vehicle, the best place to
install a forward-facing child seat is in one of the seating positions in a
back seat.

Placing a forward-facing child seat inthe front seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger airbag can be

hazardous. If the vehicle seat is too
far forward, or the child's head is
thrown forward during a collision, an inflating passenger's airbag canstrike the child with enough force to
cause very serious or fatal injuries. If a small child must be closely
watched, we recommend that another adult sit in a back seat with
the child.
Driver and Passenger Safety
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Protecting Children

Protecting Larger Children
When a child reaches the recommended weight or height limit
for a forward-facing child seat, the child should sit in one of the outer
back seats and wear a lap/shoulder
belt. A lap/shoulder belt provides
better protection than a lap belt.
If a child is too short for the shoulder
part of the belt to properly fit, we
recommend that the child use a
booster seat until they are tall enough to use the seat belt without a
booster.
The following pages give instructions on how to check properseat belt fit, what kind of booster
seat to use if one is needed, and
important precautions for children
who must sit in the front seat.
Checking Seat Belt Fit

To determine whether a lap/
shoulder belt properly fits a child,
first have the child put on the seat
belt, following the instructions on
page 13. Then check how the belt

fits.

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Driver and Passenger Safety
Allowing a larger child to sit
improperly in the front seat canresult in injury or death if the
airbags inflate.
If a larger child must sit in front,
they should move the seat as
far back as possible and wear
their seat belt properly.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Protecting Children

If you decide that a child can safely
ride up front, be sure to:
Carefully read the owner's manual,
and make sure you understand all
seat belt instructions and all safety
information. Move the vehicle seat to the rear-
most position.
Have the child sit up straight with
their back against the seat and
their feet on, or near the floor. Check that the child's seat belt is
properly positioned and secured.
Closely supervise the child. Even
mature children sometimes need
to be reminded to fasten their seat
belt or sit properly. Using Child Seats with Tethers
Your Honda has several attachment points that allow a tether-style childseat to be installed. Since a tether can provide additional
security, we recommend using a
tether whenever one is required or available. (Tethers are required in
Canada. U.S. owners may check with
the child seat maker to determine
whether a tether is available for a particular child seat.)
U.S. Models
Two tether attachment points are located on the tailgate sill that allowa tether-style child seat to be
installed on the third seat. Use thedimensions in the illustration to
locate the attachment point you want to use. Cut a 7/8 inch (22 mm)diameter hole.
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